Research has shown that some countries which claim to have reduced their greenhouse gas emissions through reforestation may actually  be transferring them elsewhere by increasing imports of agricultural and forestry products.

Scientists working for the Alternatives to Slash and Burn Partnership for the Tropical Forest Margins argue that these ‘Emissions Embodied in Trade’ must be considered within the context of international leakage in REDD+ discussions.

“Calculation of national emissions should also include emissions caused by products consumed within that country and not just those produced within,” suggests Peter Minang, ASB Global Coordinator.

The research behind these claims is documented in the policy brief: Emissions Embodied in Trade (EET) and land use in tropical forest margins and was featured this week in the European Commission’s Science for Environment Policy news feed.

Agricultural productivity and effective policies of reforestation and forest protection have contributed to increased forest areas in countries such as Costa Rica, Vietnam and China, but there is also evidence that these countries have made this transition by increasing imports of agricultural and forestry products from other countries, thus displacing their land use and transferring their emissions to export countries.

“By importing food, fiber and wood products, the forest transition countries have increased the area outside of their borders required for production and by doing so have increased their external emissions footprint,” explains Minang.

Using international trade data converted into the area needed for the production of the commodities, the scientist show that over the past five years, more than 50 percent of the increase in forest area by the forest transition countries was offset by an increase in displaced land use to countries providing the imports.

There is potential for consumers to play a role in reducing emissions through trade if better systems of eco-labeling are developed for commodities.

“Cases where the public are influencing proper land use through campaigns against industries with high emission rates and that are involved in new forest clearing are becoming common,” says Meine Van Noordwijk, Chief Science Advisor at the World Agroforestry Centre says van Noordwijk. He stresses the need for more transparency, good record keeping and reporting as well as models for low carbon development pathways for commodities in developing countries.